10 easy microwavable meals at work, home or in a dorm

Buying or preparing food for a lunch doesn’t have to be a big deal. As you probably know by now, microwaving can be a very quick and healthy way to cook food – particularly at work. Everyone’s heard or seen people cook oatmeal at work or heat up a microwavable dinner, but what else is there?!

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Sweet mashed Sweet Potatoes. Pierce the potato a few times with a fork, wrap it in a paper towel and microwave it for a few minutes. It’s done when it’s easily poked in the center. Remove, mash with a fork and some honey.

Pasta and Sauce. Heat water in the microwave until it’s about boiling, then add the pasta and put it back for another few minutes, or until it’s as done as you’d like. Discard the water and add the sauce – microwave for another few minutes. Keep smaller pastas on hand at your desk to make this a go-to meal.

Quesadillas. Do something easy like broccoli and cheddar. All you have to do is grab a head of broccoli, some shredded low-fat cheddar and a wrap on your way out the door and you’ve got lunch!

Any fresh vegetables. When you’re at the store next, grab steam bags from the sandwich bag aisle and leave ‘em in your desk. You can tear, chop or steam almost any vegetable in an instant. Dip them in hummus, add salad dressing, or salsas. (Note: for many greens, corn, or other veggies, you don’t even need one of these bags)!

Tuna Melts. Keep a can of tuna in water at your desk. All you need to grab in the morning is a wrap (or bread) and some cheese.

Eggs in a mug. Beat the eggs, add a little water and microwave for 1 minute. Mix ‘em up and microwave for 1 more minute.

Popcorn without a bag. Put it in a greased bowl and microwave, though you might have a couple stray kernels at the end.

Fish. That’s right, it doesn’t turn out leathery like a steak would! Wrap it in microwave safe plastic, add a bit of oil, salt, pepper, dried herbs and lemon and cook for about 2 minutes on high – though if you have a big piece, it might need more time.

Apple Pie Crumble. Use the microwave bags (or a reusable container) and combine quartered apples with some cinnamon, apple juice, and honey. Seal, but leave a little place for steam to escape. Microwave for about 5-10 minutes. Remove and mash with a fork. Sprinkle with granola and microwave again for about 1 minute.

Polenta. Just combine ¼ cup polenta with 1 cup of water, and a pinch of salt. Add cheese or milk to make it a little creamier. Microwave in increments of 2-3 minutes, stirring every few minutes until it’s done.

As I mentioned in a previous post, keep oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cinnamon in your desk to add flavor to meals. If you want, you can also keep single serving packets of mustard or ketchup, too! Of course, you can always choose raw vegetables for a quick salad too.